Jalen Green scored 26 points and the Houston Rockets beat Portland 125-103 on Saturday night, the Trail Blazers’ fifth straight loss. Alperen Sengun had 23 points and 15 rebounds for the Rockets. Scoot Henderson had 21 points and 11 assists off the bench for the Blazers.

Jalen Green scored 26 points and the Houston Rockets beat Portland 125-103, the Trail Blazers' fifth straight loss.

Portland Trail Blazers forward Jerami Grant, who missed nine games with a face contusion, returned during Saturday night’s 125-103 loss to the Houston Rockets at the Moda Center. Grant started and played just under 25 minutes, finishing with seven points on 2-of-7 shooting with four rebounds and three turnovers.

Portland will try to end its four-game slide when the Portland Trail Blazers take on Houston. The teams meet Saturday for the first time this season.

The Blazers (13-28) lost their fifth consecutive game and fell to 0-4 on their five-game home stand. The Rockets (28-13) remain second in the Western Conference. The Rockets claimed the season series 2-1. In late November, the Blazers lost 116-88 at the Rockets, then won 104-98 the following night.

Lastly, on Saturday, the Rockets will visit Portland to play the thirteenth ... To say that starting shooting guard Jalen Green has been streaky during his career would be an understatement.

The catalyst? Jalen Green. Green has struggled with consistency and efficiency in his previous three seasons in Houston. Even this season, the 22-year-old got off to a rough start. However ...

The Houston Rockets (27-13) meet Anfernee Simons and the Portland Trail Blazers (13-27) at Moda Center in Portland, Oregon on Saturday, January 18 at 10:00 PM ET.The Rockets fell in their last

The Rocket’s red glare visible tonight from the Moda Center will hopefully be from basketball being played and nothing else

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In this week's Whiteboard roundtable, our NBA team is talking desperation moves for the Warriors, food-based nicknames, the best teams in the West and more.

The Houston Rockets beat the Portland Trail Blazers 125-103 as Jalen Green lead the way with 26 points. Houston shot 44.4% from the field and 45.2% from three. Alperen Sengun got the Rockets off to a hot start with six points on 3-for-6 field goals before the Trail Blazers called a timeout down 10-2.